“Hindi lang sa TV may lipatan…”
This was what the Cinemalaya Film Festival said in an announcement as the most popular independent film fest returns for its 19th edition this year.
The film festival on Saturday, July 1 teased festival goers and patrons about a “transfer,” referencing the recent shakeup in the noontime variety landscape.
This refers to the TVJ trio (Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, and Joey de Leon) and other former “Eat Bulaga” mainstays going to TV5 Network and ABS-CBN’s “It’s Showtime” airing on GMA’s second free-to-air channel GTV.
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“Hindi lang sa TV may lipatan… (eye emojis) ABANGAN!” the social media post of Cinemalaya reads.
“Follow the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Cinemalaya socials for more updates,” it added.
The page also included a publication material with the text “PICC YOU SOON,” with the last letter in the ‘PICC’ in clear format to make it alternatively read as “C [SEE] YOU SOON” as well.
PICC refers to the Philippine International Convention Center.
The indie film festival’s traditional venue is the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), whose main building is currently undergoing renovation.
The renovation is set to last for three years as the initiative aims to retrofit areas of the main building to ensure the structural integrity of the 52-year-old establishment.
This includes upgrading its fire, drainage, electrical, and environmental protection systems, as well as other building codes.
A community page of Cinemalaya claimed that the ten-day film fest will be supposedly experienced at the PICC, the CCP Black Box Theater, and selected cinemas at shopping malls.
From August 4 to 13, organizers of the film festival said that patrons could enjoy watching the following full-length competing films from the alleged narrative, animation, and documentation categories:
- Ang Duyan Ng Magiting — Dustin Celestino
- As If It’s True — John Rogers
- Bulawan Nga Usa — Kenneth De La Cruz
- Gitling — Jopy Arnaldo
- Huling Palabas — Ryan Machado
- Iti Mapukpukaw (The Missing) — Carl Joseph Papa
- Maria — Sheryl Rose Andes
- Rookie — Samantha Lee
- When This Is All Over — Kevin Mikhail Mayuga
- Killing Time in Manila Traffic — Paul Sta. Ana
Their respective synopses can be seen in the caption of each Cinemalaya post featuring their posters.
In a July 3 post, the community page of Cinemalaya replaced “Killing Time in Manila Traffic” with “Tether” by Gian Arre.
A Facebook user also tagged the director in a post featuring the poster of “Tether.” It had the Cinemalaya logo.
Meanwhile, the following are the ten competing short film finalists in Cinemalaya 2023:
- Tong Adlaw Nga Nag-snow Sa Pinas — Joshua Caesar Medroso
- HM HM MHM — Sam Villa-Real and Kim Timan
- Golden Bells — Kurt Soberano
- Hinakdal — Arvin Belarmino
- Kokuryo: The Untold Story of Bb. Undas 2019 — Diokko Manuel Dionisio
- Ang Kining Binalaybay kag Ambahanon ko para sa IMO — Kent John Desamparado
- Maudi Nga Arapaap (Last Dream) — Daniel James Magayon
- Makoko Sa Baybay — Mike Cabarles
- Sibuyas Ni Perfecto (Perfecto’s Onion) — Januar Yap
- Sota — Mae Tanagon
Reports said the short films tackle a myriad of human stories showcasing different techniques and approaches.
This includes stories of zombies, family adventure, coming-of-age chronicles, LGBT narratives, and a documentary on horse caretakers, among others.
The Cinemalaya Film Festival aims to develop and support the production of cinematic works of Filipino independent filmmakers that boldly articulate and freely interpret the Filipino experience with fresh insight and artistic integrity.
It also aims to discover, encourage, support, train and recognize gifted Filipino independent filmmakers and promote Filipino indie films locally and internationally.
